Noosa tourism leader says ‘we’re closed for holidays’

ANYONE thumbing their noses at the strict no holiday stays in Noosa risks turning the shire into a hot zone for the transmission of coronavirus.

That is according to Tourism Noosa CEO Melanie Anderson who said it has been widely reported in other countries and regions, local holiday periods have led to a spike in the number of cases of COVID-19.

“We must not undo what we have achieved so far through social distancing and by eliminating non-essential travel,” the CEO said.

“Now is not the time for road trips, recreation and holidays and we respectfully ask visitors not to come to Noosa during this time.

“The message from the Queensland Government is very clear – the state borders are closed and everyone has been asked to stay home unless there is an essential need for them to go out and should not be travelling for recreation,” Ms Anderson said.

She said operators not adhering to the restrictions are committing an offence and Queensland Police have been given authority to issue on the spot fines of $1334 for individuals and $6672 for corporations.

“We understand that businesses are hurting and that taking bookings now does ease that short term financial pain, but it’s just not the right thing to be doing for our community,” Ms Anderson said.

“We have had some great advice from some of our operators who are doing the right thing and they have chosen to block all third party booking sites for the next three months and only taking bookings direct through their website or via the phone so they can ask the relevant questions and ensure that people have a legitimate reason to visit.

“We cannot make the message clearer for now – for visitors, please don’t visit Noosa and for our operators, do the right thing and don’t take bookings now until this situation is over”.

Ms Anderson said urged everyone to “stay inside and stay well, we need to do this together as a community”.